TRIPOLI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan navy on Thursday said it rescued 102 illegal immigrants off the country's western coast.
The immigrants, of different African nationalities and include three women and one child, were rescued 49 miles off the coast of the capital Tripoli, the navy said in a statement later Thursday.
The rescued immigrants have been provided with humanitarian and medical assistance and taken to a reception center, the statement said.
The Libyan Navy on Wednesday said it has rescued more than 7,000 illegal immigrants this year so far, compared with 12,365 rescued from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 last year.
Libya has become a preferred departure point for refugees hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe due to chaos and insecurity in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
